Janet Raymond's stroke didn't only affect one side of her body, it affected her whole life. Help came in the form of Toronto Rehab's new Mobility Innovations Centre (formerly named the Balance, Mobility and Falls Clinic). The clinic's goal: To improve mobility and reduce the risk of falling among stroke survivors, like Janet, and brain injury patients. The innovative clinic brings specialized new techniques, developed by researchers, to patients. Tools are used to identify a patient's underlying problems with balance control and to guide their therapy. The team is also developing cheaper, portable assessment tools for use outside the clinic.

Healing the Heart at Home

When tests showed Ken Grant had a 95% blockage of a major artery, he underwent emergency angioplasty. The procedure was successful but Ken faced a long road to rehabilitation. As an international consultant who travels a lot, Ken lived a busy lifestyle that wasn't suited to a hospital-based cardiac rehab program. So he enrolled in Toronto Rehab's Cardiac Rehab @ Home program, which allows patients to do rehab at home with online and phone support. It worked for Ken – and it's working for others, according to a Toronto Rehab study. That's important because people who participate in cardiac rehab after a major heart event cut their risk of dying from another major heart event in half.

Helping Hospitals with Hand Hygiene

Each year in Canada, almost 10,000 people die from hospital-acquired infections. Hand hygiene reduces infections. So Toronto Rehab scientists have developed an easy-to-use electronic auditing tool, called HandyAudit®, that provides objective, accurate and consistent hand hygiene measurements. The device is now on the worldwide market, and more and more hospitals are using the device to record actions of health care workers and automatically analyze hand hygiene data. Another high-tech system that is currently being tested uses motion sensors and emitters to remind health care workers to wash their hands.

Tackling Concussion

Leo Ezerins has had a lot of concussions. The former CFL player was known for giving and taking some hard hits on the gridiron as a linebacker in the ‘70s and ‘80s. Now, Leo is among 40 former CFL football players involved in a landmark study led by Drs. Charles Tator and Robin Green looking at the long-term impact of concussion on athletes as they age.

Stimulation Therapy: A Wake-Up Call for Muscles

Andrew Genge was playing high school rugby when a hard hit sent him to a local hospital with severe facial injuries. While in hospital, his condition deteriorated and he suffered a stroke, which left the young man partially paralyzed and unable to move his right arm. Through the use of functional electrical stimulation at Toronto Rehab, Andrew was able to regain use of his right arm and is now considering a career in health sciences.

Sleep Apnea: A New Detection Device

Kathy Donkner was always tired but it wasn’t until she was in a car accident that she discovered she had sleep apnea, a condition that causes people to stop breathing and wake as many as 600 times a night. This causes exhaustion and fatigue during the day, increasing the risk of accidents, stroke and heart disease. Now, a Toronto Rehab innovation is poised to potentially revolutionize diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea and help people like Kathy avoid accidents, illness and injury associated with this sleep disorder.

The Future of Rehabilitation Research: iDAPT

Take a look at iDAPT, our new one-of-a-kind rehabilitation research facility in downtown Toronto. There’s nothing else in the world like iDAPT (Intelligent Design for Adaptation, Participation and Technology). The facility houses state-of-the-art “living labs” and is a quantum leap forward in rehab research. Researchers can now generate new knowledge, more practical technologies and innovative treatments more quickly, accurately and in total safety to reduce accidents and illness and help people overcome disability.